Rahul Gandhi pitches for release of 'Udta Punjab'

New Delh: Amid a raging controversy, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today made a strong pitch for release of film 'Udta Punjab', noting that the state has a "crippling drug problem" and censoring the movie would not fix it.

"Punjab has a crippling drug problem. Censoring #UdtaPunjab will not fix it. The government must accept the reality and find solutions," the Congress Vice President said on Twitter.

Anurag Kashyap, one of the producers of 'Udta Punjab', has compared the ongoing censorship regarding his upcoming film to the dictatorship in North Korea. The "Bombay Velvet" director said there is no sense of freedom here.

"I always wondered what it felt like to live in North Korea... Ab to plane pakadney ki bhi zaroorat nahin...," he posted on Twitter.

The 43-year-old filmmaker's tweet came after Censor Board had purportedly raised certain objections regarding references to Punjab following which the movie may have to go through some changes.

'Udta Punjab', starring Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh in a pivotal role, deals with the substance abuse in the state and its effect on the youth.

"There is no film more honest than UDTA PUNJAB... And any person or party opposing it is actually GUILTY of promoting drugs," Kashyap said.

Directed by Abhishek Chaubey, the film is slated for release on June 17.